Wynnette and Elva went off to take secret counsel together.
Wynnette declared that she meant to talk to Odalite about it, and also to Col. Anglesea, and to tell him, if need were, that he was no gentleman to come into the house to cut out—
“No, I won’t say ‘cut out,’ either, for it is vulgar; I will say supplant—that is the word, and I will say something better than I first thought of, too! I will stand straight up before him and lift up my head and look him straight in the face, and I will say to him:
“‘Col. Angus Anglesea, do you consider it conduct becoming an officer and a gentleman to come into this house to supplant a gallant young midshipman, who is serving his country, in the affections of his betrothed bride?’”
“Oh! that will be splendid, Wynnette! What book did you get it out of?” innocently inquired Elva.
“‘Book?’ No book! Every good thing I say you think comes out of a book; but it came out of my own head.”
“What a splendid head you have, Wynnette!”
“Yes. I guess people will find that out some of these days.”
“Col. Anglesea will, won’t he? Now you say that to him, Wynnette! Just as you said it to me!”
“That will fetch him! No, not ‘fetch him’—that is vulgar, too. Make an impression on him—that is what I mean, Elva.”